Abstract

Chronic pain causes significant problems in the lives of many adolescents, considerably affecting their physical, psychological and social functioning. The assessment of the multidimensional impact of chronic pain is an essential clinical task. This study reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of the Bath Adolescent Pain Questionnaire (BAPQ); an assessment tool designed specifically for use with adolescents who experience chronic pain. A sample of 222 adolescents (11–18 years) experiencing chronic pain completed the 109-item draft inventory. Participants were recruited from two different UK clinics. All participants responded to items using a 5-point frequency scale. Psychometric evaluation of the data resulted in a reduced inventory length of 61 items. Internal consistency of all seven questionnaire subscales was established using Cronbach's alpha. Comparative validity was undertaken by comparison of all individual subscales with existing validated measures (SCAS, CDI-S, FDI, Brief FAM. PCS and CASAFS). The temporal reliability of each inventory subscale was established using a sub-sample of 30 adolescent participants over a 17-day period. Psychometric evaluation of the data suggests the inventory yields both a reliable and valid assessment of the impact of chronic pain on the lives of adolescents. The BAPQ may offer a comprehensive way to assess the widespread deleterious impact of adolescent chronic pain in both a research and clinical setting. Further investigation is needed on the predictive validity of the subscales. Additional data from samples of patients with diagnoses that are not musculoskeletal in origin would be of great assistance.